How to reduce the energy consumption of consumer products
Thirty per cent of the energy consumed by households is used for appliances and consumer products. Alongside heating and lighting, domestic appliances are the biggest consumers of energy in the home. Besides making the products themselves more energy-efficient and encouraging consumers to be more energy-conscious in their use of these products (for example by not leaving them on standby), one solution is to make the products energy autonomous. The products of the future will use energy that they obtain from their immediate environment; they will store energy; and they will be energy-efficient and able to react in a flexible and adaptive manner to the smart grid. This means that the washing machine will switch on automatically when sufficient wind or solar energy is available. A fleet of electric cars can serve as an excellent energy storage medium. They charge up when the night wind is howling and, at times of peak demand, the electricity grid can draw on energy from their batteries.
How is TU Delft contributing?
Product design
Products are only purchased and used on a large scale if they meet the needs of the consumer. In the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, we are developing, testing and disseminating techniques and tools that will help companies and institutions to design products and services that satisfy consumer and sustainability requirements. Read more about the research and design of the department of Design for Sustainability.
Solar energy
Solar energy has universal applications. Researchers in the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering are designing products that incorporate solar cells.
Illustration: O Sole Mio, solar-powered mouse
ECOR power strip
The ECOR Power Strip shows how much power a device is using. This makes consumers aware of the amount of energy they consume in their homes (e.g. if appliances are left on standby).
Contact en links
- For more information about the research, please contact the Delft Energy Initiative
